Reviews

The Keys of Middle-Earth: Discovering Medieval Literature through the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien by Stuart D. Lee, Elizabeth Solopova

caireann's review against another edition

5.0

It's a must-read for all those that are looking for references in Tolkien's fiction in order to fully understand the meanings behind certain concepts and motifs taken from Old English and Old Norse verse. It focuses mostly on The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, providing excerpts that are of particular interest to us on the basis of specific fragments from the book. Hence, we are given a very nice comparison of texts with a lenghty description and notes that may help tackle with the original.
What I loved about this book, that it's rather a self-study rather than a given analysis. We are given hints, background, general descriptions of themes, and a text. And this is what matters - the ability of comparing it further by ourselves with the help of additional notes and appendices. These bits of texts were meant to fuel the need for more of the source texts, and - at least in my case - they were successful.

ufolivia's review against another edition

5.0

I haven’t finished The Hobbit and The Silmarillion sections yet because I was looking specifically for information on LOTR, but this book is SO COOL and very informative if you’re interested in Tolkien and Medieval literature, or if you’re just interested in Tolkien’s influences in general!! I originally bought it to use as a source for a paper, but I think it’s really essential for any Tolkien lover. It provides all the information necessary to understand all references, given you have access to the full text of LOTR, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. It even gives the original and translated text of sources, which is a huge bonus for me. Really digestible and a great starting point for studying Tolkien’s medieval influences!!